Favorites Of The Year 2012: Television
I'm listing most of my favorite entertainment things in 2012 and today it's the TV shows' turn to get listed. This is my first time doing a TV list. I actually have enough TV shows that I watched (and care about) to be able to make a list. See my note (in small font) about how I do it.
In case you missed it, here's my Favorites Of The Year 2012: Music.
Favorite TV Shows In 2012
Note: I pick TV shows based on what I see this year and all the ones I put in the favorite are the ones I followed week-by-week. It explains why, for example, Grimm is on my Top 5 favorites and Hawaii Five-0 is 'only' on the Honorable Mentions list. It's because I follow Grimm every week but not H50, which I watched only after all of the episodes had been gathered. The TV shows I mention may include the second half of last season (for fall 2011-2012 shows) or only the first half of the new season (fall 2012-2013 shows).
Most favorite TV program of 2012: London Summer Olympics
The 2012 Olympic Games is undoubtedly my favorite TV program of the year. I watched this through 5 channels, including the Official YouTube site, and I watched both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies three times (each). I covered it extensively, talking not just about the games, but also about the broadcast and even braved the daunting world of Tumblr blogging to discuss the Games. No 'fiction' TV can beat this one in 2012.
And now, let's move on to the fiction TV program...
1. Sherlock
Of course what better way to start the year than watch the long-anticipated return of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in BBC's Sherlock in January? Series 2 was just as good as Series 1, if not better. While "Scandal In Belgravia" was actually rather loathsome in its portrayal of 'strong female characters', the performances of all the actors in the show - from Una Stubbs to writer/actor Mark Gatiss - were so strong that it's quite impossible for anybody to not adore the members of the cast wholeheartedly. As usual, Benedict Cumberbatch wows everyone with his mad genius detective routine (and his cheekbones) but it's Martin Freeman's Dr. John who stole the show with his subtle yet powerful reactions to Sherlock's madness. No surprises there; if there's anyone who's going to be the heart of the show it's always going to be John Watson as played by one of the best underrated actors that the United Kingdom has ever produced.
The show peaked at the very last episode of the series, "The Reichenbach Fall". Not when the eponymous detective plummeted to his death from the rooftop of St. Bart's hospital (although that's a crucial scene, too, and has spawned plenty of conspiracy theories and fanfiction), but when Freeman's John Watson begged his friend to come back to the world of the living. He said, "Just one more miracle, Sherlock", right before pulling a stiff upper lip stance and walked away like a broken - but not defeated - soldier. Meanwhile, I was not only busy sobbing my absolutely shattered heart out in reaction, but also pleading the show and its cast and crew to do the same thing.
2. Grimm
And speaking of a cult show, why haven't you come aboard on the Grimm train yet? This show is, for me, the nerdiest possible show on TV. Some sci-fi shows have gained mainstream following (thus, the existence of so-called "hypers" in the general fandom) but this show is so obscure that people would probably crease their foreheads and ask, "What the hell is Grimm?" Well, remember those two German siblings who collected fairy tales and published them in the olden days? Brothers Grimm they were called and, according to this TV show's fantasy universe, they weren't just scholars - they were monster hunters too.
Grimm is chock-full of monsters (usually bearing German names), good looking detectives (who have to fight or save those monsters) and bromance (one of the detectives has this friend...) It's an absolute delight to watch for Brothers Grimm's admirer like me who was raised on fairy tales because the way it's being adapted for the screen is much more enjoyable than the way most fairy tale movies are made. The second half of Season 1 was awesome but the plot (and bromance) thickened in the first half of Season 2. This is a show audacious enough to write "to be continued... sorry" at its mid-season 2 finale's ending, while things are just getting good. The level of tongue-in-cheek involved is admirable. And Silas Weir Mitchell's Monroe should get an award for being the best long-suffering BAMF! best friend of anyone in American TV since House's Wilson. Excellent entertainment!
3. Arrow
The only newcomer of the new Fall TV Season of 2012 that managed to impress me was Arrow and it's no coincidence. 2012 marks the year that I became a self-professed comic book fan, after fangirling hard over The Avengers in the summer, so a TV show that showcases the utter awesomeness of yet another comic book hero would always get my attention. And excuse me, Bat-fans, but Arrow is doing more in convincing me that DC superheroes is still badass on screen than TDKR ever did.
Although I complain week after week that I am tired of seeing whiny females on this The CW program, I do my fair share of praising for the action and drama in it. Stephen Amell's Oliver "Ollie" Queen is quite possibly the fittest fictional superhero on screen (not even matched by Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker in the Spider-Man reboot) and if you think Katniss Everdeen or Clint Barton are the coolest archers ever to be shown on screen this year, think again. Ollie will change your mind about that - he might even shoot an apple for you! The complexities of his relationships with many people play our emotions and so many conspiracy theories emerge each week. Now this is how you do a comic book adaptation that is infused with 'realism', Christopher Nolan.
4. The Walking Dead
If anyone is not convinced with the way Arrow is doing justice to comic book adaps, then there's always old-timer (season 3 now) The Walking Dead. Season 3 is the season to be jolly because after the slooooooooow pace of Season 2, we get more zombies, more action... and more death, gore and all kinds of icky things. What else can you say about a show that kicks off its new season by cutting off one of the fan favorite characters? I don't think nobody can blame me if I still haven't properly watched that episode until today.
But The Walking Dead is definitely very special for me this year, even more so than the one at no. 5 below, because I also got the chance to interview some of the stars of the show. I talked to Sarah Wayne Callies (who made prophecies on her own character, very spot on) and David Morrissey (who still freaks me out even if he made his debut without an eye-patch), as well as producer Gale Anne Hurd. Just based on these experiences, it's already enough to convince me to stick through the blood, gore and pain until the very bitter end... It helps that the show has everything too, though, even if now I'm slightly worried about the second showrunner of TWD Glen Mazzara quitting the gig. Let's see how this all plays out.
5. Game Of Thrones
And the winner of the freakiest episode in any TV show of 2012 is... "Garden of Bones" from Season 2 of HBO's Game Of Thrones. Freak episodes don't happen often, not even in The Walking Dead, but Game Of Thrones - with just 10 episodes in the second run - managed to provide some kind of freakish entertainment. Whether it's two guys making out passionately in bed, a young king insulting his betrothed in the worse possible manner or, yes, a graphic and explicit 'shadow-birthing' scene, GoT makes you want to cover your eyes and ears as you look away at awkward, uncomfortable scenes.
Yet, that is exactly the appeal of the show. It's so grotesque, it's wonderful. Game Of Thrones is one of the edgiest shows HBO - or anyone - will have ever produced. Argue for Girls, Newsroom and Veep all you want... but GoT is in a class of its own when it comes to pushing the limits. This is the show where everyone in it has an ugly soul, you hope you don't become like them. But at the same time you want to know more about these people because you hope that there's still hope for them. Whether we will get it or not, it's still a mystery. For once, though, that's what keeps me going.
Honorable Mentions
Hawaii Five-0 - Still the bromanciest show on American TV. Steve and Danny have apparently made it to couch-cuddling while watching chick flick. It won't be long before the gay marriage begins, I'm sure. Oh, and Chin Ho Kelly is still hot stuff.
2 Broke Girls - Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs bring on the LULZ. Highly addictive, fascinatingly ironic and definitely worth watching. And oh yeah, GIRL POWER B*TCH!
Veep - Speaking of girl power, THIS SHOW. AND JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS. This show is so much more preferable to any kind of broadcast about the US President Election. Waaaay better.
Glee - To be very honest, I don't care about this show anymore 90% of the time. But the half of Season 3 brought the proper closures to what used to be my favorite characters on TV, including the eternally intriguing Dave Karofsky as played by Max Adler.
That's all for TV. See you again in the next list: Books.
In case you missed it, here's my Favorites Of The Year 2012: Music.
Favorite TV Shows In 2012
Note: I pick TV shows based on what I see this year and all the ones I put in the favorite are the ones I followed week-by-week. It explains why, for example, Grimm is on my Top 5 favorites and Hawaii Five-0 is 'only' on the Honorable Mentions list. It's because I follow Grimm every week but not H50, which I watched only after all of the episodes had been gathered. The TV shows I mention may include the second half of last season (for fall 2011-2012 shows) or only the first half of the new season (fall 2012-2013 shows).
Most favorite TV program of 2012: London Summer Olympics
The 2012 Olympic Games is undoubtedly my favorite TV program of the year. I watched this through 5 channels, including the Official YouTube site, and I watched both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies three times (each). I covered it extensively, talking not just about the games, but also about the broadcast and even braved the daunting world of Tumblr blogging to discuss the Games. No 'fiction' TV can beat this one in 2012.
And now, let's move on to the fiction TV program...
1. Sherlock
Of course what better way to start the year than watch the long-anticipated return of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in BBC's Sherlock in January? Series 2 was just as good as Series 1, if not better. While "Scandal In Belgravia" was actually rather loathsome in its portrayal of 'strong female characters', the performances of all the actors in the show - from Una Stubbs to writer/actor Mark Gatiss - were so strong that it's quite impossible for anybody to not adore the members of the cast wholeheartedly. As usual, Benedict Cumberbatch wows everyone with his mad genius detective routine (and his cheekbones) but it's Martin Freeman's Dr. John who stole the show with his subtle yet powerful reactions to Sherlock's madness. No surprises there; if there's anyone who's going to be the heart of the show it's always going to be John Watson as played by one of the best underrated actors that the United Kingdom has ever produced.
The show peaked at the very last episode of the series, "The Reichenbach Fall". Not when the eponymous detective plummeted to his death from the rooftop of St. Bart's hospital (although that's a crucial scene, too, and has spawned plenty of conspiracy theories and fanfiction), but when Freeman's John Watson begged his friend to come back to the world of the living. He said, "Just one more miracle, Sherlock", right before pulling a stiff upper lip stance and walked away like a broken - but not defeated - soldier. Meanwhile, I was not only busy sobbing my absolutely shattered heart out in reaction, but also pleading the show and its cast and crew to do the same thing.
2. Grimm
And speaking of a cult show, why haven't you come aboard on the Grimm train yet? This show is, for me, the nerdiest possible show on TV. Some sci-fi shows have gained mainstream following (thus, the existence of so-called "hypers" in the general fandom) but this show is so obscure that people would probably crease their foreheads and ask, "What the hell is Grimm?" Well, remember those two German siblings who collected fairy tales and published them in the olden days? Brothers Grimm they were called and, according to this TV show's fantasy universe, they weren't just scholars - they were monster hunters too.
Grimm is chock-full of monsters (usually bearing German names), good looking detectives (who have to fight or save those monsters) and bromance (one of the detectives has this friend...) It's an absolute delight to watch for Brothers Grimm's admirer like me who was raised on fairy tales because the way it's being adapted for the screen is much more enjoyable than the way most fairy tale movies are made. The second half of Season 1 was awesome but the plot (and bromance) thickened in the first half of Season 2. This is a show audacious enough to write "to be continued... sorry" at its mid-season 2 finale's ending, while things are just getting good. The level of tongue-in-cheek involved is admirable. And Silas Weir Mitchell's Monroe should get an award for being the best long-suffering BAMF! best friend of anyone in American TV since House's Wilson. Excellent entertainment!
3. Arrow
The only newcomer of the new Fall TV Season of 2012 that managed to impress me was Arrow and it's no coincidence. 2012 marks the year that I became a self-professed comic book fan, after fangirling hard over The Avengers in the summer, so a TV show that showcases the utter awesomeness of yet another comic book hero would always get my attention. And excuse me, Bat-fans, but Arrow is doing more in convincing me that DC superheroes is still badass on screen than TDKR ever did.
Although I complain week after week that I am tired of seeing whiny females on this The CW program, I do my fair share of praising for the action and drama in it. Stephen Amell's Oliver "Ollie" Queen is quite possibly the fittest fictional superhero on screen (not even matched by Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker in the Spider-Man reboot) and if you think Katniss Everdeen or Clint Barton are the coolest archers ever to be shown on screen this year, think again. Ollie will change your mind about that - he might even shoot an apple for you! The complexities of his relationships with many people play our emotions and so many conspiracy theories emerge each week. Now this is how you do a comic book adaptation that is infused with 'realism', Christopher Nolan.
4. The Walking Dead
If anyone is not convinced with the way Arrow is doing justice to comic book adaps, then there's always old-timer (season 3 now) The Walking Dead. Season 3 is the season to be jolly because after the slooooooooow pace of Season 2, we get more zombies, more action... and more death, gore and all kinds of icky things. What else can you say about a show that kicks off its new season by cutting off one of the fan favorite characters? I don't think nobody can blame me if I still haven't properly watched that episode until today.
But The Walking Dead is definitely very special for me this year, even more so than the one at no. 5 below, because I also got the chance to interview some of the stars of the show. I talked to Sarah Wayne Callies (who made prophecies on her own character, very spot on) and David Morrissey (who still freaks me out even if he made his debut without an eye-patch), as well as producer Gale Anne Hurd. Just based on these experiences, it's already enough to convince me to stick through the blood, gore and pain until the very bitter end... It helps that the show has everything too, though, even if now I'm slightly worried about the second showrunner of TWD Glen Mazzara quitting the gig. Let's see how this all plays out.
5. Game Of Thrones
And the winner of the freakiest episode in any TV show of 2012 is... "Garden of Bones" from Season 2 of HBO's Game Of Thrones. Freak episodes don't happen often, not even in The Walking Dead, but Game Of Thrones - with just 10 episodes in the second run - managed to provide some kind of freakish entertainment. Whether it's two guys making out passionately in bed, a young king insulting his betrothed in the worse possible manner or, yes, a graphic and explicit 'shadow-birthing' scene, GoT makes you want to cover your eyes and ears as you look away at awkward, uncomfortable scenes.
Yet, that is exactly the appeal of the show. It's so grotesque, it's wonderful. Game Of Thrones is one of the edgiest shows HBO - or anyone - will have ever produced. Argue for Girls, Newsroom and Veep all you want... but GoT is in a class of its own when it comes to pushing the limits. This is the show where everyone in it has an ugly soul, you hope you don't become like them. But at the same time you want to know more about these people because you hope that there's still hope for them. Whether we will get it or not, it's still a mystery. For once, though, that's what keeps me going.
Honorable Mentions
Hawaii Five-0 - Still the bromanciest show on American TV. Steve and Danny have apparently made it to couch-cuddling while watching chick flick. It won't be long before the gay marriage begins, I'm sure. Oh, and Chin Ho Kelly is still hot stuff.
2 Broke Girls - Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs bring on the LULZ. Highly addictive, fascinatingly ironic and definitely worth watching. And oh yeah, GIRL POWER B*TCH!
Veep - Speaking of girl power, THIS SHOW. AND JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS. This show is so much more preferable to any kind of broadcast about the US President Election. Waaaay better.
Glee - To be very honest, I don't care about this show anymore 90% of the time. But the half of Season 3 brought the proper closures to what used to be my favorite characters on TV, including the eternally intriguing Dave Karofsky as played by Max Adler.
That's all for TV. See you again in the next list: Books.